1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for generating an analytic model having analytic components generated on the basis of a plurality of components configuring an analysis object. For example, the present invention relates to a technique suitable for use to generate a purpose-specific analytic model suited to a purpose of analysis which does not depend on a shape of a component such as thermal analysis or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Use of design supporting tools such as CAD (Computer Aided Design), EDA (Electronic Design Automation) and the like is general in designing electronic devices.
In designing an electronic device, thermal analysis is generally carried out to analyze junction temperatures of parts, surface temperatures of parts, atmospheric temperatures of a device and so forth.
Such thermal analysis is carried out on an analytic model (verified thermal analytic model, thermal analytic model) generated by modeling an analysis object on the basis of design data, for example. It is generally desirable to faithfully model the configuration of a component in making an analytic model. In analysis of an electronic device, modeling within a range from μm (parts level) to m (system level) is required. However, faithful modeling within such a wide range causes an increase in number of meshes, which leads to an increase in analysis period, or generation of hardware limitation such as lack of memory, etc.
To overcome the above drawbacks, upon thermal analysis of an electronic device, it is general to simplify design data within a permissible range of analysis period and analysis accuracy according to an analysis purpose such as analysis of junction temperatures of parts, analysis of surface temperatures of parts, analysis of atmospheric temperatures of a device and so forth, and generate an analytic model. For instance, when it is desired to analyze junction temperatures of parts, up to internal structures of the parts are modeled when it is desired to analyze surface temperatures of parts, the parts are modeled to the extend that the surface temperatures thereof can be obtained. Further, when it is desired to analyze atmospheric temperatures or analyze a temperature distribution of the whole device, modeling of an internal structure thereof is not carried out because it is unnecessary.
Hereinafter, examples of known techniques for generating an analytic model will be explained with reference to FIG. 25 (G1 to G3, etc.).
First, a designer or the like prepares design data 81 of electronic device, using a design support tool such as CAD, EDA or the like. For example, a person exclusively appointed for analysis who has knowledge about thermal analysis beforehand prepares a simplified thermal parts model 82 for each component, and generates an analytic model 83 by automatically selecting a simplified thermal parts model 82 and applying it to each component on the basis of the design data 81 (refer to G1). Alternatively, for example, a person exclusively appointed for analysis beforehand prepares analytic model configuration examples 84 and analysis instances 85, and slims the design data 81 to make the design data 81 fit an analysis purpose, and prepares analytic design data 86 (refer to G2). The person exclusively appointed for analysis determines an analytic model generation method on the basis of the analytic design data 86, the analytic model configuration examples 84 and the analysis instances 85, and generates the analytic model 83 according to the determined analytic model generation method (refer to G3).
From the analytic model 83 generated in the above technique, analytic models (refer to “ANALYTIC MODELS 1, 2, . . . , N” in FIG. 25) are generated according to various purposes of thermal analysis (refer to “PURPOSES 1, 2, . . . , N” in FIG. 25), respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 25, N analytic models are generated, correspondingly to N purposes of thermal analysis.
In concrete, for example, a person exclusively appointed for analysis captures an analytic model suited to an analytic level representing a range of analysis object with the use of an intermediate file (IGES, STEP, STL, IDF, etc.) of the design data to optimize (tune) the analytic model, and generates an analytic model fitting the purpose of the thermal analysis on the basis of know-how of this person. Part of the analytic model can be shared, depending on an intention of the preparation, condition statement, etc. (diversion analysis using analytic model).
As other examples, Patent Document 1 below shows a technique in which when the user selects a shape pattern and an analytic evaluation item of an analysis object, the system demands the user to input size, angle, material and analytic condition parameters that the system needs in analysis; when the user inputs only the parameters, the system automatically generates a three-dimensional analytic model on the basis of the inputted parameters and modeling rule. Further, Patent Document 2 below shows a technique in which, in preparation of an analytic shape model from a real shape model, a screen of analytic conditions having a guidance function is displayed as soon as the user instructs shape operation, and the user selects an analytic condition from the screen to generate analytic condition, for example.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H10-187771
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) No. H09-138812